


You Can't Run

by Beastrage



Series: the red desert sky [2]
Category: Ancient Egyptian Religion
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Ancient Egyptian Literature & Mythology, F/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 05:03:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7963501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beastrage/pseuds/Beastrage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nephthys makes her choice, no matter how hard it is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can't Run

There are sha everywhere. The moonlight lights them up brilliantly in the dark, making it clear she cannot escape them.  
They pace around her, eager and hungry. Red eyes and fur glowing.  
Should she run, they will leap upon her and devour her, nevermind that she is their master’s wife.  
So Nephthys stands still, even as the hound-like creatures circle her ankles, sniffing her flesh. It is unpleasant, their cold noses against her naked skin, but she bears it. Barely.  
“Where are you going, dear one?”  
He circles her like his pets, wild and monstrous all at once.  
She meets his eyes steadily, grey staring into red.  
“To see my beloved sister, husband.”  
Set snorts. An inelegant sound. “Really. The sister you hate.”  
“You talk with people you hate all the time, husband. Some things have to be done.”  
He examines her, hands running down her back, her arms. They tingle wherever they touch, warming her frigid flash. The god leans forward, lips by her ear.  
“And I suppose I also plan to stay with those hated people, far from my loved one.” A hand strokes her collarbone, arm curled around her shoulders. “Plan to run away.”  
A shiver runs down her spine. He knows. Oh Ra, he knows.  
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice you leaving, notice you missing from my bed?” He purrs, drawing her closer to him, until she’s practically pinned up against his body by his grip. “Come home, Nephthys. I love you.”

Her body responds to the unwelcome venture, heating up and full of fire.  
She wants to stay, feel that warmth forever. There is nothing more that she wants, than to follow him back to the palace, to once more curl up with him in their bed. She wants to taste his kisses, sparks of love and lust all at once.  
Nephthys has never wanted what was good for her.  
Carefully, she places a hand on his chest, pushing Set away. Back to a relatively safe distance.

“No.”

His red eyes glow with surprise. She has never said no before. Not to him.  
“No what?” Set asks, sha grouping around his feet. One hisses, baring its blackened fangs.  
“No, I knew you would notice me leaving. No, I am not going back.” She takes a deep breath, tasting the dry desert air. “No, you don’t love me. Not anymore.”  
His shock is only for a moment, but it’s enough. He loosens his grip.  
She spins away from him, moving into motion. Running.  
Behind her, she can hear the sha start to howl, start their mad rush after prey.

But it is too late.

She whistles and the wind is at her back. With a single note, the sha are tossed into the air like leaves on the winds.  
An inhuman howl echoes over the silver sands, under an unwelcome moon. “Nephthys!”  
She stumbles, just slightly, as her vision burns.  
Her eyes burn even as she recovers her footing. Her body is ice now, but her eyes are fire.  
Enough to melt ice. Enough to feel the wetness on her cheeks.

The goddess places a careful hand on her stomach. Slowly, she calms, still able to feel the steady beat underneath. She has not lost him, though she has lost another.  
“Good-bye, husband,” she whispers. “Good-bye, Set.”

**Author's Note:**

> In case you were wondering, or even care, sha is the name of the monster known as the 'Set animal'. Just saying


End file.
